What happens at retreat, stays at retreat...but I can tell you this much

I had a terrific time. The Kincardine Sunset Quilters Guild booked the Crieff Hills Centre for a 2 1/2 day retreat. We arrived Tuesday morning and left Thursday afternoon. We all brought projects to work on. Each person had their own table. Irons were set up in the hall outside the sewing room. We were bunked in at two to a room.The food was great and the company was even better. This is me at show and tell. On the design wall behind me is a lap size double slice quilt top and I am holding up a tiny bricks baby size quilt. I got four tops assembled at the retreat. The blocks were done and I had laid them out in rows before going, so the sewing was pretty mindless. Also got a start on the Braille Quilt Along. Thanks to all the organizers for a wonderful time. that being said we thought we should be somewhat circumspect when describing the experience so we would not have too much competition for the limited number of spots next year. Yes, next year is booked already. Piecefully, Joanne

Family, where would we be without it?

 Our daughter and "the boys" taking it easy early Sunday morning. So not my usual quilting post but such a fun photo I couldn't pass it up.  Piecefully, Joanne

Brenda P and Dear Jane in Bennington Vermont

Brenda Papadakis gave an informative and entertaining talk of Friday evening at the Bennington Museum in Bennington Vermont. She described how she had come across the now famous Dear Jane quilt and how she ended up drafting the designs for the blocks found in the quilt. After her talk we had the opportunity to see the original quilt. I was amazed by its condition (excellent) and the depth of colour that was still present after 150 years. Yes this is the 150th anniversary of the quilt.
I often wonder  how my work will stand up after 20 years let alone 150. It would appear that the Dear Jane quilt wasn't actually used. There is a lot that is unknown about the quilt and its maker and this allows one to speculate and fill in the blanks on your own.

This is one section of the quilt. You could not stand back far enough to capture the full quilt in one shot. The Museum puts it on display for 6 weeks a year and we were there during that time.
On Saturday I attended a workshop given by Brenda. We first introduced ourselves and I was surprised to see that four people in attendance had come from Calgary and another attendee was from Australia. We did a couple of the more challenging blocks. It was so much fun to get out and do some serious sewing with like minded people. One woman at the workshop had completed one Dear Jane quilt in traditional colours and was now working on one in modern brights. Quite a contrast.
Piecefully, Joanne

Sashiko Workshop in Kincardine

We were fortunate to have Renske Helmuth come to the Kincardine Sunset Quilters Guild this week and teach a beginner Sashiko workshop. I was one of the lucky ones to get signed up. I finished one square at the workshop and have a good start on my second block. Renske started us off with paper so that we could easily see the progression of the stitches and how simple straight stitches can build up to the final pattern. We did both square designs and round ones. She also had some resources for us to look at and some beautiful finished quilts with Shasiko designs incorporated into the quilt. She will be teaching this workshop at Quilt Canada next June so watch for the sign up if this is something you may find interesting. Renske is an excellent teacher. I had a great time and it was certainly good to be back stitching.  Piecefully, Joanne

Kincardine Sunset Quilters Guild starts a new year

Mary Coates the guild past co-chair finished her quilt from the Scrap quilt workshop I taught last May. It is a hit with all her family and I can see why. Ann Finlayson our incoming co-chair is on the right. She was part of the measuring team. This year our Guild is joining the Walk to Niagara Challenge from the Canadian Quilters Association. So after show and tell the quilt or project goes to the measurement table for a measurement. We did not have a large number of items at this meeting.
The Executive has done a marvelous job of lining up workshops and programs for the coming year. There is a good variety, as they say, something for everyone. Piecefully, Joanne

A life well lived but ended far too soon

Our son-in-law passed away very suddenly two weeks ago. He was due to return from his two and a half years working in Virginia the following weekend. Mike was just 37. We have been doing what little we can to help our daughter and the boys during this incredibly challenging time. She has a wonderful group of friends and they have been a blessing. Mike's colleagues in Virginia were shocked too. They packed up what he had left in his apartment and drove his car back to Ontario thus sparing Jennifer a long weekend on the road.
My creative energies have gone into hibernation and I hope they are allowed to wake up soon. The only sewing I have done has been some mindless scrap quilt block components.
I saw a nifty (or at least I thought it was nifty) Quilt Along. It is called the Braille Quilt Along and can be found here. Piecefully, Joanne

The Giving Quilt, my version

This is my version of The Giving Quilt all done and ready to donate. I loved Jennifer Chiaverini's book of the same title. In my opinion she does a wonderful job of character description. After the book came out she published the directions for the quilt. As a scrap quilter I had to make some slight alterations. As an example the outer border is not quite the same as the pattern but I was (as usual) working with donated bits of this and that and had to figure out just what I could do to add the border. I keep hoping this figuring out is good for my brain and will replace Crossword puzzles as a brain stimulant.
Yesterday we had lots of excitement on our tiny street as the neighbours hosted a private concert with John McDermott. They had been the successful bidders at a charity auction and last evening was the result. We were a little nervous about how our grandsons would take this event because it was an adult occasion but they amazed us. Sat in the very front row and did not move until intermission. They told us the singing was good and the guitars were good too.
I am in the final stretch with my Quiltmaker's 100 blocks Volume 8 Sampler quilt. I have only see a few of the blocks from this upcoming issue but I believe it will not disappoint.
Piecefully, Joanne